Radio tube receptacle



y 1951 w. REYNOLDS 1 2,552,062

RADIO TUBE RECEPTACLE Filed May 27, 1947 awn/r01? WJLLIAMREYNOLD ATTOR EY Patented May 8, H51

UNITED STATES F F ICE ATEN T 2 Claims.

My invention relates to an improved radio tube receptacle or socket and to a method of electrically connecting and fastening same to a radio chassis in the assembly of a radio set. More particularly, it relates to such a receptacle that is readily but firmly attached to the radio chassis underneath openings in the mountin panel thereof by means of suitable fastening devices, and which is easily removable thereafter, if desired.

Radio tube sockets are generally mounted in openings provided in a panel of the radio chassis and include a supporting element that is permanently affixed to said panel by riveting, eyeletting or the like. It has been the practice in assembling radio sets to solder the various connecting wires to the contact members of the socket, after the socket was permanently afiixed to the panel of the chassis. This requires rather delicate work in a restricted space, thereby slowing down the assembly of the set.

My invention is designed to facilitate the rapid assembly of radio sets according to modern mass production methods, particularly those in which a conveyor belt is used. By modifying the means heretofore employed for attaching conventional radio tube sockets underneath the chassis panel, I have made it possible to solder the various electrical connections to such sockets, before the latter are attached to the chassis. The improved sockets are then easily and quickly secured to the chassis from below the panel and are held there firmly enough to permit insertion of the radio tubes in such sockets. Nevertheless, the sockets may subsequently be readily removed, if desired, thus greatly facilitating later repairs.

The radio construction art has advanced to a point where great emphasis is placed upon reducing the cost of assembly. The principal object of my invention is to effect a very substantial saving in the labor required fOr electrically connecting and mounting the tube sockets in the chassis panel during assembly, without any appreciable increase in the cost of these parts. Another object is to eliminate the necessity of riveting or eyeleting operations in the sub-assembly of the sockets to the chassis. Still another object is to facilitatesubsequent repair work on the assembled set. A further object is to provide simple, inexpensive means for removably attaching the tube sockets to the chassis and locking them thereto with ample strength to withstand subsequent handling, particularly the downward thrust exercised when inserting the radio tube into the socket. Additional objects and advantages will become apparent from the detailed description that follows, reference being made to the attached drawings forming a part hereof.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a conventional radio tube socket of the laminated type, provided with fastening means according to my invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the socket shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of a portion of a mounting panel of a radio chassis showing the openings therein designed to register with my im proved socket and its fastening elements.

Figure 4 is another such top plan view showing a modified form of the openings designed to efiect locking of the parts by a turning movement of the socket, instead of a lateral movement.

Figure 5 is a cross section of a portion of my improved socket provided with a tubular rivet and a flat spring serving as the fastening and locking means. The socket is shown attached to the chassis panel.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the fiat spring used in the socket illustrated in Figure 5.

In all figures of the drawings corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numbers. Referring particularly to Figures 1. and 2, it will be seen that my improved socket involves but a slight departure from the conventional type of laminated socket, that does not add appreciably to its cost. My improved socket is made up as usual of a pair of plates of insulating material I held together by rivets 2 and including a plurality of openings 3 for receiving the radio tube prongs, the customary metal contact elements 4 and soldering lugs 5 for the electrical connections 6 to the socket. The principal novel feature of my improved socket is the fastening means, one form of which is shown in these figures. In this embodiment of my invention, I provide the socket with lugs 1 having a narrow portion 8 and a head 9 projecting above the upper insulatin plate I. These lugs may also serve to hold together the insulatin plates, thus enabling one to dispense with the rivets 2. At least one of said lugs has afiixed thereto a locking spring N] that serves releasably to hold the socket in place, when the fastening means are slid into engagement with special openings provided in the mounting panel of the radio chassis.

One form of such special openings is shown in Figure 3. The large opening H in the panel [2 is the conventional opening designed to expose the plurality of openings 3 of the socket when fastened underneath. Two additional openings it are provided of sufficient size and shape to permit insertion of the heads 9 of the lugs i. From such openings l3 there extend slots it which are narrower than the lug heads 9, but wide enough to accommodate the narrow projecting portions 8 of the lugs "l of my improved sockets. The slots are preferably tapered as shown to provide a tight fit.

It will be apparent that the improved socket shown in Figures 1 and 2 may readily be attached to the panel l2 shown in Figure 3 by inserting the lug heads 9 through the openings 13 from beneath the panel and then laterally sliding the socket in the direction of slots M so that the lug heads 9 overlap the edges of said slots. In order to lock the socket in this position, I position the locking spring It! radially on one of the lugs I,

which will snapinto the opening 13, when the socket is slid into its final position, thus holding it in locked engagement to the panel. Obvious- 1y, if it is desired to remove the socket subsequentl for repair work, this can be done simply by pulling the spring It out of the opening 53 then sliding the socket to the position in which the lug heads 9 may be withdrawn through the openings i3.

In the modified panel form shown in Figure 4 the openings l3 are provided with slots 15 that extend in a direction circumferentially from the center of the large opening H. In this case the fastening of the socket to the panel is effected by inserting the lug heads 8 through the openings It and then turning the socket, so that the narrow projecting portions 8 of the lugs 1 will slide into said slots Hi. To insure locking of the socket in this modified form, the spring on the lug 3 should be turned through an angle of 90 degrees to follow the lug and enter the opening 53. When fastening and lockin are accomplished by a turning movement, the top of the receiving portion of the socket (as distinguished from its supporting element) may project upwardly through the large opening II.

In Figure I have shown the use of a tubular rivet $5 in place of the solid lug i and the use of a flat spring 16 thereon in place of a wire spring as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The flat spring 13 is shown separately in Figure 6. It includes a hole ii through which the rivet I5 is driven and an upwardly extending portion I8 designed to enter the opening I3 in the panel 52. It is obvious that the locking spring could be afiixed elsewhere to the socket, provided its upwardly extending portion is so positioned with respect to a corresponding opening in the panel as to lock the socket, when it is moved to its desired final position. However, attaching it to the lug 'i' or rivet i5 appears to be the simplest and cheapest arrangement.

Thus, it may be seen that my improved radio socket includes a supporting element having a flat upper surface that will come into contact with the lower surface of the chassis panel. It is provided with rigid fastening members projecting upwardly and having end portions extending over the upper surface of the supporting element in a plane parallel thereto. Said end portions are designed to pass through openings in the chassis panel and to overlap the edges of such openings, when the socket is moved to its final position. Resilient means are provided releasably to lock the socket in this position. Such resilient locking means could be aflixed to or form a part of the chassis panel. Preferably, it is ailixed to the socket and normally it extends upwardly to enter into locking engagement with an opening in the panel, when the panel and the socket are brought together and slid into the desired relative position.

The primary advantage of my improved socket, particularly of the manner in which it is secured to the radio chassis, is that one may solder the various electrical connections thereto before it is mounted in the chassis. This greatly simplifies and speeds up the assembly of the radio set. I am aware that it has been proposed in the U. S. Patent 2,294,896 to Eby temporarily to fasten the socket beneath the chassis panel by frictional engagement under spring pressure. However, in this prior arrangement it is still necessary permanently to anchor the socket to the panel by means of a subsequent step involving upsetting, punching or the like. This subsequent step is necessary to hold the socket firmly enough to withstand the downward thrust required for insertion of the radio tube in the socket. Furthermore, such a subsequent operation requires backing up of the eyelets or extending tongues employed for temporarily fastening the socket to the chassis, and also involves unavoidable vibration, so that it is not feasible to solder the electrical connections to the socket prior to the time the latter is anchored to the chassis. An essential feature of the means I employ for releasably locking the socket to the chassis is its ability to withstand subsequent handling, particularly insertion of the radio tube, thus rendering unnecessary any subsequent riveting or eye leting and eliminating the effect of vibrations produced thereby.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many further modifications may be made in the structures illustrated and. embodiments described herein without departin from the spirit and scope of my invention. Consequently, my invention should not be regarded as limited to the details disclosed, but includes all such modifications and embodiments as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A readily mountable and demountable radio tube socket having a tube-supporting base for axially receiving and holding the pins of a radio tube, said base having several lateral extensions each rigidly carrying an axially projecting stud, said studs having heads larger than their shanks for entering the enlarged portion of tapered slots in a socket-mounting member and locking in said slots by lateral movement of the shanks to the narrow portion of said slots, one of said extensions carrying a laterally projecting, resilient catch shaped automatically to move into abutting engagement with the edge of the wider portion of a tapered slot, when the stud on said extension is moved from the wider to the marrower portion of said slot, to hold the socket in locked position.

2. The combination as defined by claim 1 in which the base has two extensions on opposite sides, each extension carries a single stud, one of said studs holds the resilient catch, and said catch extends radially out from the socket for engagement with a slot that also extends radially of a socket receiving portion in a socket-mounting member.

WILLIAM REYNOLDS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,648,605 Bobo Nov. 8, 1927 2,042,950 Makenny June 2, 1936 2,110,132 Douglas Mar. 8, 1938 2,110,136 Douglas Mar. 8, 1938 2,169,4'18 Laico May 30, 1939 2,174,682 Beggs Oct. 3, 1939 2,205,146 Larkin, Jr. June 18,1940 2,240,658 Matnern May 6, 19M 2,294,896 Eby Sept. 8, 1942 2,427,991 Del Camp Sept. 23, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 249,386 Great Britain Mar. 25, 11926 

